Norwegian Breakaway or RC Symphony??

[clpainter2001]

We are wanting to cruise next summer to the Caribbean.  We have been on RC Harmony of the Sea and loved it and we were scheduled to go on Norwegian's Breakaway before Covid.  We really wanted Norwegian's Breakaway plus ships with more activities, but they do not go to the Caribbean in June or July (I am an educator and can only travel in June or July).  We will have a 20-year-old girl and a 17 year old boy with us and we all love adventure.  Which ship would you recommend?  Thanks in advance for all the help!!

[lauren0309]

While I have not been on Harmony of the Seas, I have been on Oasis class ships. I have also been on Norwegian Breakaway and it did not impress.  My vote is for Royal Caribbean Oasis class ships. While Breakaway was okay, Oasis class ship is still is my favorite ship of all the ships and cruise lines I've been on. I feel like it has more to offer. There will be plenty of things for the kids to do too.

[Cherries Jubilee]

Definitely Symphony. I cruised on Allure (older sister ship) and Breakaway. I enjoyed both cruises. The problem is that it was harder to get seats to everything on Breakaway. The pool area is super crowded and the actual pool is small. Most events are held in the atrium and there are no where near enough seats for that. I personally also felt like there was more to do on Royal.

 

 I also hope to make it onto one of Norwegian’s newer ships to see if I like it better than Breakaway.

[bajathree]

I have sailed both...Symphony for sure.

[jerseyjjs]

 

      I too have sailed both.  No contest.......Symphony.

[DaniDanielle]

Out of our 24 cruises I placed the Breakway on the bottom.  It was the worst cruise, I couldn’t wait to get off the ship.  On the plus side loved Oasis, Allure and Harmony.  I am sure Symphony is great also.

[deliver42]

Any Oasis class ship over the Breakaway.

[Jonbiloh]

Ncl is a disaster in every way. This is easy, Royal Caribbean Oasis class cannot be beaten for your family based on what you described as important to you. 

 

I've had the pleasure of being on the breakaway and the escape and was totally unimpressed. 

[Eileen G]

We have been on the Oasis and Allure and the Getaway, sister ship to the Breakaway. You can't compare the RCL ships to the Getaway. Out of all our 50+ cruises on 7 cruise lines the Getaway was our least favorite ship. Half of the top deck is taken up by the Haven where the lower class can't go. The pool was so small and there was no place for lounge chairs. The adult area was a joke. We walked around the ship saying 'What were they thinking when they designed this ship'. On the plus side I did enjoy the ropes course and it had one of the best buffets.

[smplybcause]

I like both (or at least Oasis class). Are the itineraries the same? Because Breakaway can tender so they might go to different stops.

[Shadow66]

Hands down RCL.  We have been on 3 NCL cruises.  The last one was in the Haven on Breakaway in January 2020….Never again, NCL.  Too crowded everything….

[Itchy&Scratchy]

17 hours ago, Eileen G said:

We have been on the Oasis and Allure and the Getaway, sister ship to the Breakaway. You can't compare the RCL ships to the Getaway.

same! We've been on the Allure and the Getaway. We'll cruise NCL again only if it's nearly free. I disagree on the buffet: Getaway's buffet and MDR food was atrocious.

 

Symphony all the way.

Edited July 21, 2021 by Itchy&Scratchy

[dasi11]

I have been on NCL many times.  I have also been on over 20 RCL cruises.   I choose RCL whenever I have a choice.  My father in law invites us on lots of cruises.  Even staying in the Haven is not as good as a regular room on RCL.  Don't get me wrong.  I love the Haven.  But the rest of the cruise is much nicer on RCL.  

[Guest BigRoger]

Yep it’s a good choice to have to make….. been on both…. Both are brilliant so you can’t go wrong…. But frankly (in our view) Oasis class ships are the best in the world…. The space, the air, the evenings in Central Park…. So much to do everywhere for all ages…. (Jeez sound like a travel agent)….

 

and Symphony is the best Oasis class ship…. It is fantastic…. So for us it’s not a debate…. Always Symphony

Edited July 21, 2021 by BigRoger

[Wilson]

We tried giving NCL another shot. Sailed Breakaway Nov 2019. VERY disappointed! 

[Two Wheels Only]

On 7/20/2021 at 7:57 PM, Eileen G said:

Getaway was our least favorite ship. Half of the top deck is taken up by the Haven where the lower class can't go.

 

On 7/20/2021 at 7:57 PM, Eileen G said:

The adult area was a joke.

 

I have good news and bad news.... 😁

 

All of the forward half of deck 17 on Getaway is adult only. Only a small section (less than 1/4) is Haven only. The rest is the adult-only VIBE Beach Club. 

 

The bad news is that you must pay for access to VIBE and the passes are given on a first come-first serve basis. If the passes sell out before you get one, you cannot get access. 

 

For Breakaway, the entire port side and about 2/3 of the forward-facing area is open to all guests. 

 

For the OP, it doesn't matter if the question is asked on the RCCL forum or on the NCL forum....it's Oasis Class over Breakaway Class and it isn't even close. 

[CSHS1979]

Make sure you adk on the NCL board. Might get a different perspective

[Cruise a holic]

Having sailed multiple times on RC Oasis class, and twice on Breakaway- I urge you to consider RC Oasis class.  The only way to sail on NCL is in a Haven suite.  The rest of the ship is poorly layed out- the crowds by the pool are horrible- as is the the entire ship.  No main theatre on the breakaway- and the food and entertainment subpar IMO.

Edited July 22, 2021 by Cruise a holic

[xcell]

in terms of more things to do RCCL.

 

But for NCL, I like the included drink package and specialty dining package, the irish pub with the chicken wings, my kids enjoyed the comedy club. If RCCL didn't have the water slides, it was something new to try for sure. The rope course was fun but that's a one time thing. We were lucky to sail in Haven and RCCL has nothing like that.

 

All in all, if you haven't tried it, you should just for the experience and comparison. I'm just happy to cruise, especially now.

 

 

Edited July 22, 2021 by xcell

[Itchy&Scratchy]

5 hours ago, xcell said:

the irish pub with the chicken wings

would have been nice to try on the Getaway, but we couldn't use any of the additional and fun free food venues because of a very strong cigarette smoke smell throughout the entire deck and more.

5 hours ago, xcell said:

The rope course was fun but that's a one time thing.

our kid did that many-many times on the Getaway. He loved it. He also loved the rock climbing, the spider net and the trampoline.

But, alas, now at an old age of 10 he has outgrown the trampoline by weight.